DMZ

 DMZ tour, early December.  I know, I really should download my camera more often...

 Looking from South Korea into the North.  Freezing cold and very windy, these soldiers only stand guard when the tour groups come.  They were very strict about where, when and how we could take pictures.

 "You can take pictures if you don't stand too close or touch the guards."  We were told over and over again not to make any hand gestures, including pointing, waving, birds or any other that we came up with where the North Koreans could see us.

But I did get this picture at an over look into North Korea.  The yellow line was the photo line, as in we couldn't walk up to the edge and take pictures. 

Image walking up to tall wall and just getting a glimpse over.  That was what this tour was like... just a glimpse into what North Korea was like and a brief snapshot of the history of the DMZ.  All the incidents that get glossed over in the sentence of your history class, "And there's been a cease fire ever since."

Holidays

I came back to Korea and found this at the grocery store the first week of January.  Valentines candy.  Koreans are amazing at planning ahead.  Of course that meant, that they took down the Halloween decorations the weekend before Halloween to put up the Christmas ones... I am not exaggerating. I have learned that the holiday decorations and candy goes to the quick and the prepared.

City Lights

Merry Christmas from Seoul, Korea.  Wishing you a bright and joyful season.

Riding Shotgun

Koreans do not like to "ride shotgun" in cars.  My co-workers regulary hold the back seat door open for me when ever we are driving on errands.  Yesterday, I drove my realtor and my landlady to sign the lease papers for my apartment.  They both eagerly climbed into the back seat and left the front passenger empty.  That would never happen with my family and in fact I'm calling shotgun now, for when I come to visit over Christmas.

Lantern Festival

These are paper lanterns, larger than life size. We walked along the river, amazed and enthralled.


I'm so sorry that I am not a better photographer. But this is just enough to tease and tempt you into coming and visiting.

Carving

This is the first time that I have seen people carve fruit for Halloween but when the commissary only has a couple of pumpkins... you have to get creative for the Young Adult activities.

The Beautiful Beach

Observing US holidays in Korea means that you get a few Mondays off when everyone else has to work. (Of course, everything in Seoul is closed on Monday because the department stores, museums and attractions are open all weekend. It's a catch 22.)
The glitter you see on the horizon is the water. There was probably about a mile of mud before it. The tides in Incheon are huge. And the mud is full of shells so it's not something that you want to be walking through barefoot.
This is the beach that a lady sent us too after telling us that the others in the area were too muddy. But as you can tell, there was no one else on the beach with us.